Tasks
The Tasks are a new addition to the SMOCT, bringing back the contests originally seen in the first SMOCT. • • • What is it? • • • • The Tasks are a series of contests open to spectators and retired tournament competitors. While the theme and rules of the Tasks may vary from round to round, they will generally focus on creating shorter-length comics that will prepare the entrants for competing in the main Tournament. Though less difficult than competing in the main tournament, Tasks have shorter deadlines, which will also help future competitors develop the time management skills needed to compete in the main Tournament. • • • The Prizes • • • Traditional prizes (gift art, deviantart subscriptions, etc) will be announced at the start of each Task. In addition, First through Fifth place winners in each task will receive an in-story prize: Mirror shards. In the second-to-final round of SMOCT3, the two Task participants with the most mirror shards will be given the opportunity enter the main tournament. This means that anyone with enough preserverance may be able to enter the Tasks, turn the tide, and win SMOCT3! • • • How it Works • • • • One week into each Tournament Round, a new Task will be announced in the SMOCT group journal. The individual theme and contest requirements will be explained there, as they may vary from round to round. • Anyone, at any time, may choose to enter the Task. • However, if you are a Drop Out from the main tournament (you chose to quit the tournament, rather than being eliminated) you may only collect the traditional prizes, not the Mirror Shards. • Task participation is optional—you may pick and choose what Tasks you would like to participate in without pressure or repercussion. • One week before the Round ends, all of the completed Task entries will be gathered and judged. First through fifth place winners will be announced approximately one week (7 days) after the deadline. • At the beginning of the second-to-last round, the two Task participants with the most Mirror Shards will be contacted and given the opportunity to enter the Main Tournament. • • • Further Information • • • • Each Task lasts approximately 4 weeks (28 days), from start to finish. As many of our administrators are SMOCT alumni, we feel that this is adequate time to produce a small comic. The due dates for each Task will be announced a week into each Main Tournament Round. • In order to keep contests from stalling or dragging out, we will no longer move back deadlines or offer personal extensions for competitors to get their comics in. Please learn to manage your time effectively and commit to projects you know you can complete within the shorter timeframe. • Because the number of competitors in the Main Tournament fluctuates due to competitors dropping out we may increase or decrease the number of Task participants that will be given the opportunity to re-enter the tournament. This is to keep competitor numbers even. If a change is made, the rules will be altered accordingly and an announcement will be made. • There is no minimum or maximum page limit for your entry—however, due to the limited timeframe Task entrants have to work with, we recommend keeping your entry under 10 pages. • Your comic may be represented in the following forms: Strips, pages, flash comics, or visual novels. We do not allow literature, sculpture, live action movies, etc — generally, if you could not compare it to a traditional comic, it cannot be used as an entry. • Your entry may be done in any style—anime, western comics, chibis; whatever you feel the most comfortable with. Additionally, you may work digitally or traditionally, in color or in black and white, or in comic tones, etc. • • • Judging • • • • Task entries will be judged on the following criteria: •Art: The quality of art of the comic. Does it stand up to the rest of the art in the artist's gallery? Is the art consistent from page to page? •'Contest Requirements:' Does the entry have all of the necessary requirements, as outlined? •'Paneling:' Is the paneling clear and does it help tell a dynamic story? Does the paneling make the story easy to follow or does it made the reader unsure of the panel order? Are there any violations on the line of action? •'Story:' Is the story clear, concise, and interesting? Is there a real conflict, a beginning, middle and end? Has the text been proofread, or are there typos and misprints everywhere? Is the font or handwriting used for dialog legible, or can it barely be read? •'Character Integrity:' Are all of the characters in-character, or have they been twisted to make the artist's character look good? Is the artist's character portraying some Mary Sue-like traits—everyone adores her, everyone agrees with her, she never loses the upperhand and never makes mistakes? If she DOES make a mistake, does she suffer repercussions from it, or does she walk away unpunished? •'Composition:' This includes things like inclusion of backgrounds, and overall quality of the comic. • Each criteria mentioned above will be graded using the following scale: • A: The comic is perfect in this area, and no changes need to be made to improve it. Expert-level work. • B: The comic is well done in this area, but some minor changes or additional effort could be made to improve it. Above-average work. • C: The comic is average in this area. Some changes and a little more effort could be made to improve it, but nothing stands out as being problematic. Average work. •'D:' The comic is below average in this area. There are some considerable changes that could be made, or more effort needs to be put in to improve it. There may be one or two major problems in this area. Below average work. •'E:' The comic has major problems in this area. There are serious changes that could be made, and requires much more effort to be improved. There may be several serious issues in this area. Unacceptable work. • Here is an example of how judging would work: •Art: A •'Contest Requirements:' A •'Paneling:' C •'Story:' B •'Character Integrity:' D •'Composition:' C •'Average:' C